This article examines the phenomenon of vote buying in the United Nations (UN) and its
consequences for the international community. Expanding on the robust link the literature draws
between UN Security Council (UNSC) membership and increased aid receipts, this case study of
Yugoslavia’s dissolution explores whether the United States engaged in vote buying to reach
vote alignment in the UNSC. Although there is no evidence of vote buying using bilateral aid,
some indicators point to the use of multilateral aid in this context. The results suggest that
initially passive recipients transform themselves into active recipients to adjust to the power
imbalance within the Council and the influence attempts of dominant states. Less powerful
members extract bribes from the dominant states by keeping their voting intentions uncertain and
exploiting the dominant states’ concern with the topic under consideration. Thereby, this study
reveals a so far unstudied mechanism that deserves further analysis.